Coin lock for article dispensing machines



. Se t. 3, 1957 'r. CERECKE COIN LOCK FOR ARTICLE DISPENSING MACHINES Filed June 13, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

THEODORE GEREGKE ATTORNEY Sept. 3, 1957 I 'r. CERECKE 2,804,959

COIN LOCK FOR ARTICLE DISPENSING MACHINES Filed June 13. 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. THEODORE GEREG/(E ATTORNEY v United States Patent COIN LOCK FOR ARTICLE DISPENSING MACHINES Theodore Cerecke, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio Application June 13, 1952, Serial No. 293,305

4 Claims. (Cl. 194-61) here or jamb a coin in the usual rotatable coin holding plate, so that said plate may be rotated reversely past 25 a coin-operateddetent. In this manner it has been possible to fix a coin in the holding plate of a vending machine to permit repeated forward and reverse rotation of the operating means including said plate, until the machine has been emptied of its contents, thereby causing considerable loss to the owner of the machine.

One object of the present invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive improvement in a coin lock for vending machines, wherein a coin adhered or jambed in the coin-holding plate thereof will itself serve as stop means to prevent return rotation of the plate.

Other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following brief description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of the improved coin lock, mounted on an article vending machine.

Figure 2 is a rear view of the lock, removed from the vending machine.

Figure 3 is a rear view of the lock with a rear plate of the lock housing removed and showing rotatable coinreceiving and coin-discharging positions, in full and chain dotted positions, respectively.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3, but with the coin-receiving plate in a partly rotated position.

Figure 6 is a view corresponding to Figure 3, illustrat ing a modified form of the invention.

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section taken substantially on the line 77 of Figure 6.

Referring to Figures 1 to 5 of the drawings, there is illustrated a coin-lock 10 having the features of the invention incorporated therein, the same being of the type to control dispensation of peanuts, chewing gum, candy or the like from a machine, a portion of which is indicated at 11 in Figure l. The machine, generally, is of the class in which a coin is placed in a slot 12, permitting reciprocable operation a knob or handle 13 on a shaft 14 of operating means (otherwise not shown) to dispense a predetermined quantity of peanuts, for example, the operating means usually including a suitable springpressed device for yieldingly returning the operating means, including shaft 14 and knob 13, to the original Figure 1 positions thereof. That is, the knob 13 is yieldingly turned. approximately 180 degrees to dispense the peanuts in known manner and then released to return to original position, automatically.

r" F F H The lock -10 is contained in a casing 15, including afront plate 16 and a back plate 17 removably securedthereto, as bymeans of's'crews 18, 18. Laterally spaced rib portions 19', 19 on the front plate define with the inner face of the back plate a coin-receiving slot portion 12:: at the upper portion of the lock, which normally registers with a coin-receiving slot or recess 20 in the edge of flat disc or plate 21 keyed on the shaft 14. Arcuate rib portions 22 and 23 on-front plate 16 at laterally opposite sides of the disc 21 similarly define a cavity 24 in which the disc is rotatably received, the lower end of which opens downwardly into :a coin-discharge opening 25 of i the casing 10. A coin C inserted in slot portion 12a of the lock, and into the plate slot 20, is retained between the inner face of the back plate 17 and a Hat surface of an annular rib 26 on the inner face of the front plate.

Angular1y disposed slots 31 and 32 are cut in the arcuate rib portion 22 to receive and retain correspondingly angularly disposed. elongated leaf-spring portions 33 and 34 of a V-shaped member 35 made from a length of spring strip material. Leaf-spring portion 33 extends upwardly--- in the space between the wall 22 and the edge of disc 21,

and a leaf-spring 'por'tion 34' extends downwardly in the continuation of said space. Spring 33 extends to adjacent the coin-receiving slot 12a, as shown in Figures 3 and 5,.

in the path .of'movement'of a protruding edge of a coin C, to press the coin to position fully within'the 'coin slot 20 as disc 21 is rotated in said counter-clockwise direc' tion. Similarly. the spring portion 34 extends to adjacent the discharge opening 25. Intermediate these two retaining springs the rib portion 22 further serves to retain the coin C in place, as shown in Figure 5. In other words,

rotating the disc 21 in counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 3,. the inwardly projecting end 28.0f

spring 33 (Figure. 2), normally'rides upon the 'outer pe-' riphery of disc '21, but engages the right-hand edge'of the plate slot 20 (see Figure 3) to stop such rotation, unless moved with disc 21 away from the discharge opening '25,

will 'have a rearward or trailing edge portion thereof engaged by said charnfered portion. This results in saidedge of the coin being lifted toward stop engagement with shoulder 39, as shown'in chain-dottedline's in Figure 4,1:

to stop further reverse rotation of disc 21.

In normaloperation of the coin lock 10 shown in Figuresl to 5 in a saidvending machine 11, a coin C is placed in slot portion 12 and allowed to drop through.

slot 12a into registering slot 20 in disc 21, as shown in chain-dotted lines in Figure 3. Upon turning handle 13 a half revolution in clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure l, the disc 21will also rotate a half revolution to move the .disc slot 20 to the lowermost position thereof shown in chain-dotted lines in Figure 3, Where the pro tub er-ance 29 engages the inner edge portion of the coin to urge the same downwardly through discharge opening 25.

The springs 33 and 34serve tokeep the coin'i'n the disc slot 20 as the disc is rotated between the starting and discharge positions. peated as often as coins are placed in slot 12.

Should any dishonest schemejbe utilized, however, "to

This normal operation may berge-Z wedge or-rotherwise adhere a coin in the disc slot '20 with the ideain mind of accomplishing repeatedioperation of the coin lock 10 the same coimthe scheme will be foiled upon thefirst return r tation of so 20, beca' e the trailing edge of the adhered coin will ride up the chamfered end 38 of spring 34, into stop engagement with the shoulder 39 on casing part 17, as shown in Figure 4. In this stop position the free end of spring34 extends in a plane at'a substantial angle to a-line tangent to the point of engagement of the free end of the :spring with the coin. This, of course, prevents further operation of the vending machine until the owner thereof repairs the lock, but it also prevents loss due to repeated operation of the machine on one coin until the machine is empty of articles to be dispensed.

Figures 6 and 7 corresponding to Figures 3 and 4, respectively, illustrate a modified form of coin lock which is in all respects similar to the lock described :above, except that the end of the spring part 34a, of V-shaped spring element 35a corresponding element 35,.is squared at 40 to provide an'i'nner, relatively sharp edg'e-41. Normal operation of this lock is as described above, but upon said dishonest use of the'machine b'y adherence of a coin C1 in disc slot 20a, the sharp edge 40 of the longitudinally relatively stiff spring 34a will diginto the rearward edge portion of the returning coin to prevent return rotation of disc 21a. The angle of the spring with respect to a line tangent to the point of contact of the end of the spring with the-coin is substantially the same as described above in connection with spring 34 in Figure 3. .As before, repair of the lock is required, but the articles in the machine are saved.

Thus, has been provided a very simple, economical device for preventing the aforementioned loss of goods from vending machines, which in the'past created a very vexing. problem for vending machine operators.

Other modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an article dispensing machine of thetype including operating means and coin-releasable detent for looking said operating means against forward rotation which would dispense the articles, a coin lock comprising a casing having a coin-receiving slot therein, a plate mounted in said casing to be rotatable with said operating means and having a coin-receiving recess in the edge thereof normally in registry with said coin-receiving-slot in the locked position of the operating means, said casing having a coin-discharge opening for registry-with said plate recess upon forward rotation of said plate with the operatingmeans toa given discharge position thereof, said casing having guide portions intermediate said coinreceiving slot and coin-discharge opening for maintaining the coin in the coin-receiving recess of said plate, an elongated spring-pressed element anchored at one end in said casing to extend freely forwardly along the path of forward movement of a coin in said -plate recess to have the free other endpresented toward said coin-discharge opening, said element having a portion yicldingly engageable with a peripheral edge of the coin protruding from said plate recess as it moves forwardly toward said opening, a stop shoulder in said guide portions to be offset from the plane of movement'of the coin and behind said discharge opening, the free end of said element having a chamfered edge engageable behind said protruding edge portion of a said coin in some manner adhered in the plate recess, whereby upon reverse rotation of the plate from the discharge position, the adhered coin is lifted by the chamfered edge into stopengagement of an edge of the coin with said stop shoulder to prevent complete return rotation of the plate with the coin therein which would permit repetition of said forward articledischarging rotation of theoperatingmeans.

.2. In an article dispensing machineof the type including rotatable operating means and coin-releasable detent forlocking said operating means against forward-rotation which would dispensethe articles, a coinlock comprising a casing having a coin-receiving slot therein, a plate mounted in said casing to be rotatable with said operating means and having a coin-receiving recess in the edge thereof normally in registry with said coin-receiving slot in the locked position of the operating means, said casing having a coin-discharge opening for registry with said plate recess upon forward rotation of said plate with the operating means to a given discharge position thereof, said casing having guide portions intermediate said coinreceiving slot and coin-discharge opening for maintaining the coin in the coin-receiving recess of said plate, an elongated leaf-spring anchored at one end in said casing to extend freely forwardly along the ,path of forward movement of a coin in said plate recess to have the free other end presented toward said coin-discharge opening, said element having a portion yieldingly engageable with a peripheral edge of the coin protruding from said plate recess as it moves forwardly toward said opening, a stop shoulder in said guide portions to be offset from-the plane of movement-of the coin and behind said dischargeopening, the free end of said leaf-spring having a chamfered edge engageable behind said protruding edge portion of a said coin in some manner adhered in the plate recess, whereby upon reverse rotation of the plate from the discharge position, the adhered coin is lifted by the chamfered'edge into stop engagement ,ofan edge of thevcoin with said stop shoulder to prevent complete return-rotation of the plate with the coin therein. which wouldpermit repetition of said forward article-discharging rotation of the operating means.

3. In an article dispensing machine of the type including rotatable operating means and coin-releasable detent for locking said operating means against forward rotation which would dispense the articles, va coin lock comprising a casing having a coin-receiving slot therein, arplate mounted in said casing to be rotatable with said operating means and having a coin-receiving recess in the edge thereof normally in registry with said coin-receiving slot in the locked position of the operating means, said cas ing having a coin-discharge opening for registry with said plate recess upon forward rotation of saidplate with the operating means to a given discharge position thereof, said casing having guide portions intermediate said coinreceiving slot and coin-discharge opening for maintaining the coin in the coin-receiving recess of said plate, an elongated leaf-spring mounted in said casing to extend freely along the path of forward movement ofa coin in said plate recess and having, a porti0n yieldingly engageable witha; peripheralzedgeof .thecoin protrudingtrom said plate recess, a stop shoulder in said guideportions to be olfset from the plane ofxmovement of the coin and behind said discharge opening,fthe free end of saidleafspring having a .chamfered edge engageable behind said protruding edge portion of a said coin in some manner adhered in the plate recess, whereby upon reverse rotation of the plate from the discharge position, the adhered coin is lifted by the chamfered edge into stop, engagement of an edge of the coin with said stop shoulder to prevent complete return rotation of the plate with the coin therein which would permit repetition of said forward articledischarging rotation of the operating means, said leafoperating means and having a coin-receiving recess in the edge thereof normally in registry .With said coin-receiving slot in the lockedvposition, ofithe operating means, said casing having a coin-discharge opening for registry with said plate recess upon forward rotation of said plate with the operating means to a given discharge position thereof, said casing having guide portions intermediate said coin-receiving slot and coin-discharge opening for maintaining the coin in the coin-receiving recess of said plate, an elongated leaf-spring mounted in said casing to extend freely along the path of forward movement of a coin in said plate recess and having a portion yieldably engageable with a peripheral edge of the coin protruding from said plate recess, a stop shoulder in said guide portions to be offset from the plane of movement of the coin and behind said discharge opening, the free end of said leafspring having a chamfered edge engageable behind said protruding edge portion of a said coin in some manner adhered in the plate recess, whereby upon reverse rotation of the plate from the discharge position, the adhered coin is lifted by the chamfered edge into stop engagement of an edge of the coin with said stop shoulder to prevent complete return rotation of the plate with the coin herein which would permit repetition of said forward article-discharging rotation of the operating means, said leaf-spring being one end portion of an angularly bent length of spring strip material, an opposite end portion of which extends in said guide portions in the opposite direction to be yieldingly engageable with the peripheral edge of a said coin as it leaves said coin-receiving slot, said guide portions including a rib on a wall of the casing and having angularly disposed slots receiving angularly disposed portions of said spring strip, separable means being provided on the casing for retaining said spring strip in said slots.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 613,593 Newhall Nov. 1, 1898 842,207 Keyes Jan. 29, 1907 873,302 Cummings Dec. 10, 1907 1,082,817 Mettler Dec. 30, 1913 1,193,967 Antoine Aug. 8, 1916 1,561,707 Du Grenier Nov. 17, 1925 2,628,698 Parrish Feb. 17, 1953 

